Jennifer Herron
Founder & CEO
Jennifer Herron is the CEO of Action Engineering, a registered Women-Owned Small Business specializing in guiding organizations through their transformation into a Model-Based Enterprise (MBE) using Model-Based Definition (MBD). She serves on the Digital Metrology Standards Consortium (DMSC) Board of Directors, which maintains the QIF and DMIS standards. Ms. Herron has extensive experience with the hardware design for spaceflight and military systems, and as such, is an expert in multiple CAD packages (e.g., Creo, NX, SOLIDWORKS, Inventor). She holds a patent for a snake propulsion mechanism and is the author of Re-Use Your CAD: The Model-Based CAD Handbook. Because standards are the lynchpin to a digital transformation, she serves on the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) to write standards that empower all industries to do business differently.
Experience:
- 27 years in the Aerospace & Defense Industry
- 19 years of MBD/MBE Experience
Expertise:
- MBD and MBE Solution Architecture
- MBD Pilot Planning
- MBD Modeling Standards and Best Practices
- Multi-CAD MBD Authoring and Publishing
- Multi-CAD MBD and GD&T Coaching
- Strategic MBD and MBE Implementation Coaching
- MBD Supply Chain Readiness Coaching
Credentials:
- Engineer in Training (EIT), Missouri
- Board Member, Digital Metrology Standards Consortium (DMSC) since 2017; Committees involved in: Model-Based Characteristics (MBC) Committee, QIF 4.0 Committee, Strategic Planning Committee
- American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) since 2014; Committees involved in: Model-Base Enterprise (MBE) Standards Committee, Y14.46 Product Definition for Additive Manufacturing, Y14.47 Model Organization Practices, MBE/Y14 Harmonization Committee
- AIAA 2014-2015: S120A and RP-A-3 Mass Standards Committee
- DEDMWG Member since 2016: MIL-STD-31000B
- Dept of Defense Manufacturing Technology Program; Joint Defense Manufacturing Council, Joint Additive Manufacturing Working Group, DME Panel
- AIAG – 3D TDP Committee since 2020
- Patent for Toroidal Propulsion and Steering System (Snake)
- Certified Scrum Product Owner®
- Certified SolidWorks Associate
If you are going to CHANGE the results of your business, you have to change the WAY you do business.”
Jennifer Herron
Rhiannon Gallagher
Chief Business Psychologist
Rhiannon Gallagher is the Chief Business Psychologist at Action Engineering. Her focus is the people of the MBE transformation. She conducts the analysis, creates the plans, and designs the communication strategies that help people make the transition to becoming a Model-Based Enterprise. Culture does eat strategy for breakfast, but strategy that includes culture wins the day. Bringing the insights of sociology, psychology, and other social sciences into our MBE coaching is one of the unique ways Action assists customers. Rhiannon began her career in technology, designing online community systems in the early days of the web. After teaching and designing courses on a variety of technical topics, she focused her career on improving the usability of computer applications and websites for industries from medicine to mining. Rhiannon is excited to expand the integration of social science within the MBE implementation coaching services delivered by Action Engineering.
Experience:
- 28 years User Experience Research & Analysis
- 5 years of MBD Experience
Expertise:
- MBE Assessment and Road-Mapping
- User Experience
- Digital Readiness Assessments
- Executive Communication Strategies
- Organizational Communication Plans
- MBD Consumer Training Plans
- Persona-Based Culture Change Strategies
- Sociology and Psychology Insights for MBD Transformation
- Agile MBD Workshop Facilitator
Credentials:
- Masters degree in Business Psychology
- Graduate work in Human Factors Engineering
- Leading for Creativity certificate, IDEOU
We spend a lot of time designing the bridge, but not enough time thinking about the people who are crossing it.”
Dr. Prabhjot Singh
Dan Feighery
MBD Expert Trainer & Coach
Dan Feighery is an MBD Expert Trainer & Coach with Action Engineering. He develops and teaches courses on Geometric Tolerancing for Model-Based Definition and coaches teams to achieve a Model-Based Enterprise. His career began as a tooling engineer for a Fortune 500 company’s aerospace group where he was exposed to design for manufacturability/assembly and quality control. Prior to coming to Action Engineering, he worked for an emerging leader in impact mitigation and cushioning solutions and served as a change agent and champion of business process improvements. Dan holds a B.S. in Engineering Management from Missouri University of Science & Technology with a Management of Technology emphasis. Growing up in a bilingual home, Dan speaks Brazilian Portuguese. When not working, he can be found climbing and volunteering as an instructor with the Colorado Mountain Club.
Experience:
- 15 years overall including the Aerospace Industry
- 3 years MBD experience
Expertise:
- Multi-CAD MBD and GD&T Training and Coaching (Lead Trainer)
- MBD Modeling Standards and Best Practices
- Multi-CAD MBD Authoring and Publishing
- 3D CAD, MBD, CAD Interoperability Software Configuration and Assessment
- Product Development, Quality, and Manufacturing Planning & Implementation
- Tooling Design Guidelines
- Roadmap Development
Credentials:
- American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) MBE/Y14 Joint Working Group
- ASME Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing Professional (GDTP), 2009 Senior Level Certification
- American Society of Quality (ASQ) Certified Quality Inspector
- Certified Scrum Product Owner®
- Brain-Based Conversation Skills®, NeuroLeadership Institute
Michelle Nordwald
Chief Operations Officer
Michelle Nordwald is the Chief Operations Officer of Action Engineering. She is a registered professional engineer with technical and consulting expertise focused on project management/coordination, technical and economic analyses, and stakeholder collaboration. Ms. Nordwald is responsible for maintaining business systems, managing client relations, and enhancing Action Engineering’s advancement of Model-Based Definition and Model-Based Engineering across the aerospace, defense, automotive, medical, and other product development industries.
Expertise:
- Business Operations
- Customer Communications
- Project Management
- Regulatory Permitting & Compliance
- Data Analysis
Credentials:
- Professional Engineer, Colorado
- Brain-Based Conversation Skills®, NeuroLeadership Institute
We should surround ourselves with people who are better, faster, and smarter. Respectful collaboration and diversity of thought will strengthen our teams and drive our visions forward.”
Michelle Nordwald
Duane Hess
Chief Projects Officer
Duane Hess is the Chief Projects Officer of Action Engineering. Duane specializes in CAD to PDM to PLM to ERP integration and on-line and on-site training program development. He is an intellectually curious problem solver with over 15 years of hands-on experience in space planning and knowledge of manufacturing, material handling, logistics, project management, and software development. Duane has successfully designed mechanisms, material handling systems, and packaging equipment. He has a diverse background of practical knowledge and experiences including a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management and an Associate Degree in Drafting. Duane’s PDM and CAD administration approach is influenced by his practical understanding of workflow management, permissions, and documentation support. Pragmatic and systematic troubleshooting enables him to identify areas of improvement and champion PDM system stability.
Experience:
- 28 years of industry experience
- 8 years of MBD/MBE experience
Expertise:
- Organizational Change Strategy
- Training Strategies
- Customized Training Content
- Process Improvement
- MBE Mentoring
- PDM Administration
- Mechanical Design
- Manufacturing, Office, and Warehouse Planning
Credentials:
- Certified ScrumMaster®
- eCornell Change Leadership Certificate
- eCornell Change Management Certificate
Collaboration is the most powerful of concepts if one has the trust to harness it. It takes diverse experiences, unique perspectives, and inarticulable intuition, and forges them into something beyond any individual’s capabilities. It is the process of collaboration that fascinates me – the topic is irrelevant.”
Duane Hess
Heather Beckman
OSCAR & IT
Heather Beckman is head OSCAR “the octopus” wrangler and IT specialist at Action Engineering. As a natural problem solver, Heather is in charge of the development of OSCAR, specifically testing and deploying the changes, and supporting IT.
Her career in website development started before the pandemic through self-study and courses and continued through a year-long program through the Bloom Institute.
Heather has three daughters and likes to hike and spend time outside. She loves to paint and draw and read.
Expertise:
- Full Stack Web Developer
- Computer Programming
- CAD & IT Administration
- Mentoring
Credentials:
- Certified Scrum Developer®
- Certified Scrum Product Owner®
- Full Stack Web Development Endorsement, Bloom Institute of Technology
Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.
Mahatma Gandhi
Carey Barnes
Director of Growth
Carey Barnes, Director of Growth, is a high-performing international sales executive with over 20 years of expertise in the Aviation Fire Fighting/Aerospace Defense sectors. She is successful at growing, managing multiple product lines, and building long-standing customer relationships. She has vast experience selling to Airports worldwide, all branches of the U.S. Military & many other Federal Government Entities, as well as domestic and international commercial manufacturers, including to some of the largest U.S. Aerospace Defense Contractors.
Successfully set up a remote office in Paris, France and led the extensive growth in International Sales of an Aerial Aircraft Rescue Firefighting device which was sold to aviation firefighting vehicle manufacturers and airports across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Led sales efforts up until the sale of the product line to Oshkosh Truck Corporation in 2011.
Expertise:
- Previous member of FAMA, IFSTA, NFPA and sat on aviation firefighting committees within these organizations.
- Attended and/or exhibited conferences including NATO, IAFPA and Interschultz.
- Attended and exhibited at conferences domestically for AAAE, ARFFWG, IAFC, FDIC.
- Completed in-person GSA training.
- Completed government grant writing training in Washington D.C.
Credentials:
- Graduated with a B.B.A. in Marketing from Tarleton State University.
- International Executive MBA from the International School of Management in Paris, France.
- Elected and served as the youngest Executive Board Member of Aircraft Firefighting Working Group (ARFFWG) at age 25.
Karen Wylie
3D Engineer & Instructional Designer
Karen Wylie, is responsible for creating 3D data sets and supporting training. She brings classroom experience teaching SOLIDWORKS, applying instructional design practices in multiple settings, and teaching technical skills to a variety of learners.
Prior to joining the Action team, Karen served as Lead Faculty over the Alternative Energy Technology program at Northwest State Community College. There, she developed and implemented certificates and associate degrees designed for both engineering students and workforce development students. After relocating to Colorado, Karen served as teaching faculty at the Colorado School of Mines and Red Rocks Community College. She mentored traditional and non-traditional students in multi-disciplinary teams to solve real-world problems with creativity, technical and communication skills, and teamwork. She also taught SOLIDWORKS to fulfill one required component of students’ proof of concept. Most recently, Karen served as the Adolescent Program Director at a local start-up public charter school, where she focused on developing a program that married specific pedagogical needs with Colorado Essential Skills for 21st century workforce readiness.
When she is not working, Karen is an avid trail runner and enjoys going on adventures with her husband and two teenagers.
Expertise:
- Multi-CAD MBD Authoring and Publishing
- MBD Best Practices
- Instructional Design Principles and Theories
- Learning Needs Analysis
- Curriculum and Instructional Planning
- Learning Content Development
- Assessment and Evaluation
Credentials:
- Master of Science degree in Environmental Policy and Management from the University of Denver
- Bachelor of Science degree in Geological Engineering from the Missouri University of Science and Technology
- Certified Scrum Master®
- Engineer in Training (EIT), Ohio
- Certified SolidWorks Associate